Should've Stayed Home
by RainbowSplatter
Summary: When Cavatina ends up trying to leave the dull and dusty Dodge Junction against her brother's wishes to travel to her birthplace of Cloudsdale, she ends up with a lot more than she bargained for, including some grim history and a clumsy prince with an embarrassing secret.
1. Chapter 1: The Armpit of Equestria

Cavatina couldn't have been having a crappier day.

First, she'd overslept. This wasn't unusual, as she stayed up late often, but today was the day that she needed to deliver the mail to the train station, and there wasn't much time to get down to Dodge Junction's tiny post office and grab the mail. Granted, it wasn't that bad of a distance, but even as a pegasus, her flight skills were less than stellar, and due to her tiny size, carrying the mail was no easy task.

Then she'd completely misplaced her ribbon box. Sure, the majority of them were all the same silver ribbon that she tied into her peachy-colored mane, but without some kind of ribbon, she couldn't tie it into the side ponytail that she often wore, which bugged her probably more than it should have.

And now she was rushing down from one end of main street to the other, a large burlap sack full of letters and packages on her back at she ran. What was the use of wings with the weight of that? She might as well have just been a shrimpy earth pony. She panted heavily, galloping towards the train station as fast as her skinny little legs would carry her. She at least had to be thankful that it was still early, and that the sun wasn't beating down on her just yet. Unfortunately, everypony else liked this time of day, too, so she had to deal with the usual bizarre looks and snickering as she tried to make her way to the station without collapsing. Well, collapsing might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but she was prone to tripping over herself when in a panic.

'Almost there,' she thought with a bit of relief. The train was still at the station, and she hadn't heard any boarding announcements just yet, so she must have had enough time.

And she would've gotten there smoothly had it not been for how she sped up a little too much, and tried to skid to a stop right in front of the steps to the platform, only to fall flat on her face and send the sack flying, dumping letters and parcels everywhere. Beautiful.

She let out a sigh of frustration before trying to get back on her hooves. At least the passengers found it amusing, judging by their laughter. And she probably would have, too, if she hadn't been the pony in the situation. As soon as she began to gather up all of the envelopes, she was stopped by a familar voice.

"Oh, sweetie, you're just prone to messes, aren't you?"

The pale pink pegasus looked up, face to face with Cherry Jubilee. That was a relief. She didn't know her so well, but she'd always seemed fairly kind in all of the time that Cavatina and her brother had lived in Dodge Junction.

"Yeah, I guess so," Cavatina muttered, offering a tiny smile before going back to gathering all of the envelopes before some weather pony decided to make wind and make her job a lot harder. "I guess it's just one of those days, isn't it?"

"Well, here, darlin'. Let me help." The older earth pony chuckled a bit, and began to move some of the further envelopes towards Cavatina's pile, much to the visible appreciation of the little pegasus, who seemed to relax a bit more once she had some help.

"Oh, thanks so much! I can't seem to do anything lately without causing some kind of disaster." Cavatina took the remaining envelopes and shoved them back in the burlap sack, before making sure that it was secure and upright. For a moment, it looked as if it were about to tip over again, but she let out sigh of relief and gestured towards an official-looking stallion, who simply nodded and picked the sack up with ease, taking it onto the train.

Once the stallion was out of sight, Cherry Jubilee gently placed a hoof around Cavatina's shoulders. "Sugarcube, the incident last week wasn't your fault. You know that Sarsaparilla never looks where she's walkin'. You could jump up on your hind legs and yell 'WET FLOOR!' and she wouldn't figure it out until she was down on her rump. Some ponies just don't have any common sense."

Cavatina hung her head, looking at the mare out of the corner of her rose-colored eyes. "I appreciate the kind words, and the help, but if you don't mind..." She glanced down the main street, and off into the distance. "I should probably go help my brother. He's probably wondering why I'm so late." With that, she softly nudged Cherry Jubilee's hoof away, gave her a polite nod, before trotting away.

"Hay, Cavi!"

The moment Cavatina walked into the saloon, her brother's voice rang out over that of the other ponies, calling from the counter near the back. Spotting his wavy teal mane above the rest, she quickly walked over to him, and climbed up onto a bar stool. And then she promptly slumped down, giving him the most "blah" look she could manage.

The young stallion frowned, leaning against the counter from his side. "Something wrong, sis?"

"Eh, nothing, really. Just made one heck of a mess down at the station, though." As much as she tried to seem nonchalant about the whole thing, the shame was easy to read in her face. "Cherry Jubilee showed up at just the right time, though, so we got it taken care of."

The brown pegasus frowned, giving his younger sister a hard stare, as if trying to figure something out. "You sure you should be working? If that sickness flares up again, I don't want you to collapse in the middle of the street like last time. Maybe you should go home and get some rest."

"Arpeggio, I'm fine. I was only out for a couple days, and it wasn't like I couldn't walk." Resting her face on the bar counter and looking up at her brother with one eye, she stuck her tongue out. "I think I just woke up on the wrong side of the bed today."

"Yeah, well…" Arpeggio took a rag and began to scrub the counter, purposefully nudging Cavatina's face with it until she sat up. "It's a slow day, so it's not like I've got much for you to do anyway. Why don't you take the day off?"

The pink pegasus deadpanned and rolled her eyes. "And do what?" She crossed her front legs over her chest, again leaning on the counter. "Count cactuses?"

"Cacti. And I'm sure there's something for you to do around here. Maybe if you go over to the ranch-"

"Remember what happened last time I was there?" Cavatina let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"...Oh, right. Well, I heard that cherry mush is...good for the coat!" Arpeggio nodded enthusiastically, trying to urge Cavatina to perk up a little. This was only met with a flat, unamused stare from his younger sister. "...Well, alright. I guess you'll just have to go look around and see if anyone else needs something done."

The filly exhaled through her nose, the breath sending her bangs hovering above her eyes for a second or two. The epitome of an angsty teenager, no doubt. "Right. I'll see you later."  
"Don't wait up for me, I think I'm working late tonight."

Giving a curt nod, the younger pegasus hopped down from the bar stool, and trotted out from the saloon, and back outside, not feeling much better at all.


	2. Chapter 2: Thunk!

About an hour later, Cavatina was sitting out on the steps in front of her small house, finally having found one of her silver ribbons. Well, that was a plus, at least. Even so, she tugged at it irritably, trying to adjust it when there wasn't really anything visibly wrong with it. Either way, it sure beat having her mane blowing around everywhere.

In a place where there wasn't anything to do and she didn't have any real friends, the most she could do to pass time was either do odd jobs, sing, or maintain her mane, which was always in the same style. Tied loosely with a silver ribbon on one side of her neck, and slightly curled at the ends. Not exactly practical, but it kept her from climbing the walls.

She flopped over on her side, staring off into the distance. Sand and cacti for miles. Sure, she could go to Appleloosa for the day, but Arpeggio never let her go alone. Considering that she was well past flight school age, this was frustrating.

What was the point of living if you were stuck in some tiny little patch of dirt? That wasn't living. That was existing. There was, at the very least, the whole of Equestria to explore. Canterlot, Applewood, Manehatten…

She could vaguely remember a time when she hadn't been stuck out in the middle of nowhere. At some time when she was just a foal, she lived in Cloudsdale with Arpeggio and her mom and dad. She'd just entered flight school when Arpeggio dragged her off to Dodge Junction, with no sign of their parents to be found. They'd been workers at the weather factory, as far she knew. She couldn't remember much more than that, and Arpeggio had never really told her.

Cloudsdale. Now that was a place that she wanted to check out. The most she could recall was the fluffy white clouds, and pretty buildings.

She hadn't even attempted to fly up to a cloud in ages. The last time that happened, well…

Broken wings weren't exactly thrilling. No adrenaline rush there, just the aftermath.

'...Well, it's been a few years now. Maybe if I don't strain myself...'

The idea, as far as she was concerned, was a decent one, and it sure beat sitting around on the front porch, occasionally muttering a greeting to passerby. A slight smile on her face, she got back onto her hooves, and started a slow canter towards the outskirts of town. A three minute jog at most. Sure, she could've tried to fly from where she was, but it'd been so long that she probably need a lot of space for take off. Besides, if someone saw her trying to take off here, they'd probably tell Arpeggio, and he'd get on her case.

There was also the fact that today was a clear sky kind of day, and there was only one cloud that she could see. Said cloud was out a little further into the desert, anyway. Plenty of room to pick up enough speed to get into the air.

Minutes later, she'd made it far enough out of town to get a good, clear run without anything to bump into. If she'd been able to run with that sack of mail on her back, why couldn't she run even faster without it? And she was sure that her wings were in working order. She'd been able to flap them without any pain, after all.

The cloud was in her line of sight, and there didn't seem to be any obstacles. So she started running. First at a canter, then moving into a gallop.

She'd been right about one thing, at least. She could run a lot faster without the mail on her back. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure how long she could keep this up, or if she'd even be able to get herself up into the air.

One, two. One, two. She began to beat her wings, trying to maintain a decent speed as she did so. One, two. One, two, three. If there was one thing she knew about, it was beats and rhythm. The sound of her hooves on the dirt seemed to sync up with her heartbeat, and soon, her wings were beginning to follow the pattern. One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three! One-two-three-four! Onetwothreefour, onetwothreefour, onetwothreefour-

And then, with her hind legs, she pushed off of the ground. As if the world was going in slow motion, she seemed to hover forever, unsure if she was going to get into the air or if her wings would just collapse.

Then, miraculously, her wings beat once, pulling her further up into the air. The movement repeated, and she could see her distance from the ground increasing. Her look of determination was broken by a wide grin as she made her way up, higher and higher.

The cloud was finally in reach, and, though her wings weren't that sore right then, it was almost like she just barely made it. The last few wingbeats had started to feel week, to the point where she had to flutter faster to keep from falling.

Luckily for Cavatina, she fell face-first onto the fluffy white cloud. Letting out a sigh of relief, she flopped onto her back, and just lay there for a few minutes, breathing heavily. How many years had it been since she'd tried to fly, instead of just hovering a few feet off the ground? At least three.

Eventually, she got up into a sitting position to get a good look at the view. She could definitely see Dodge Junction from here. And, in the distance, Appleloosa. There was some greenery beyond that, too! That was northward, she figured. From what she could remember from maps, that's where Canterlot was. And Ponyville, and Manehatten. Applewood, Fillydelphia, and, of course, Cloudsdale.

Not that she could see any of those from where she sat, but she could've just stared at the view for hours, trying to imagine. What sort of ponies came from that way? Sure, she'd seen visitors from out of town, but she hardly spoke to them. They sure seemed a lot more elegant than the ones from Dodge Junction. Fancy jewelry, some of the mares wearing lovely dresses…

Now that was culture. She didn't care so much for the jewels or gowns, but the change of scenery. They carried an air with them that was so much cheerier than that of Dodge Junction.

That was the kind of pony that she wanted to be.

She could've stayed there daydreaming for hours, had it not been for the sound of some kind of squabble in the distance behind her. She quickly turned around, spotting what appeared to be a small wagon and four ponies. Though she was too far away to properly assess the situation, it didn't sound good.

Did she go for help? She glanced over her shoulder, back at Dodge Junction. That'd take too long. She was too far out now, and by then, it might be too late.

There wasn't much that she could do, but maybe if there was another pony for back-up, the attackers would run off.

But could she fly from here? Her wings were still a little soar. Still, gliding might be easier. If she could just make it far enough to get close…

So, without a second thought about the fact that she might drop out of the sky and die, Cavatina jumped from the cloud, spreading her wings.

Luckily for her, the gliding thing actually was working. Or else she would've probably shattered all of the bones in her body. She was coming in closer now, and picking up speed. The main problem would be stopping.

**_CRASH!_**

Or not. Before she knew what was happening, she'd missed her mark on the ground, and kept gliding, right until she smashed into an earth pony with a mask, causing him to topple over with the sheer momentum of her glide. Ouch.

As she sat there, dazed, all she could hear behind her was another pony's voice.

"What the hay?!"


	3. Chapter 3: A Hoof to the Face

Cavatina's head reeled as she struggled to get back on her hooves, having caused as much of a blow to herself as she did to the stallion she'd just flown into.

"What the hay are you doin' here, little filly?" The stallion who was still standing loomed over the tiny pegasus, glaring at her with narrowed eyes. "This is a mess you don't wanna get tangled up in. Now, why don't you run along home?"

The filly ducked her head down, glowering and trying to stand up a little taller. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't menacing. At all. She fluttered her wings in agitation, sending a couple of little pink feathers floating into the air. "If you don't run off, I'm gonna get the sheriff over here!"

There was a pause, and both stallions burst out laughing. Cavatina wilted. That wasn't the reaction she was hoping for. For a moment, her face fell.

That was, anyway, before she scowled and used the opportunity to smack one of the distracted thieves in the face with one of her little hooves. It wasn't much, but it was enough to cause him to topple over in pain. He groaned, holding his muzzle.

"Alright, who's-" Cavatina swung around to face the other highwaycolt, but was interrupted by an older stallion with a dull grey coat, who'd used Cavatina's stand-off to his advantage and knocked the other thief down from behind, and held him down with a hoof.

"That's right, pal. You better think again before trying to rob one of my wagons." The driver prodded the fallen pony, watching him squirm. "Now, you best get outta here before this little filly and I give you a lot more trouble." He lifted his hoof, and the two thieves ran off into the distance, occasionally tripping over themselves.

Cavatina quirked her brow and tilted her head to the side. "...Wow. You sure scared them off."

The driver tipped his hat to her and grinned. "All part of the job, little lady. You get used to mediocre robbery attempts in my line of work. Those were just a couple of colts lookin' for an easy target. Though, I can say that I appreciate the help. Those were an ornery couple of foals, I'll tell ya what."

The tiny pegasus was about to reply, but was interrupted by what may have been the stuffiest sounding voice she'd ever heard. If she tried to imagine what nobility sounded like, that was it.

"Driver!" The voice came as a shout, from what sounded like a colt, but slowly withered into a nervous mumble. "They've gone, yes...?"

"Calm down, Flare. They're gone."

Cavatina turned to look in the direction of where the voice had come from, and cowering around the corner of the wagon was possibly the blobbiest looking unicorn she'd ever seen. So much for her mental image of nobility.

Her eye twitched a little.

"And..." The colt stepped out from behind his hiding place (which hadn't been doing a very good job), giving the filly a better look. Yep, he was a unicorn alright. A pure white coat (quite a bit of which was obscured by a black cloak), with a limp, dark red mane hanging in front of his thick glasses. Holy cow, that was a fat pony. He turned to look at Cavatina, though refused to make eye contact with her. "She's not with them, is she?"

The little pegasus deadpanned. "Do I really look capable of highway robbery?"

"Nah, as far as I know." The driver looked between the two and shrugged. "Just sort of dropped out of the sky and knocked one of 'em over." He eyed Cavatina. "Sorry, sweetie. Can't give ya many points for your landin', as much as it helped."

"Better a thief than a cactus." Cavatina shook her head quickly, trying to get her mane out of her face. She glanced in the direction of Dodge Junction. "Anyway, I should probably be going. My brother's going to kill me for being out this far."

The driver held up a hoof. "Wait, li'l lady. If you're headed in the same direction we are, I'll just give you a ride. Dodge Junction?"

Cavatina nodded. "Only town close to here. If you're going that way, I'd appreciate the ride."

"Not a problem. Just get in back with Flare, and we'll be there in no time."

The unicorn gave Cavatina a wary glance, but climbed into the back, the wagon creaking underneath him. The pegasus just gave him a flat expression in return, crawling in after him, and wondering if there'd actually be any room, or if she'd be squished up against the side.

And she'd guessed it. A few minutes later, she was wedged in between the side of the wagon and the colt's large rear. Awkward. They didn't make any eye contact, which was fine with Cavatina.

At least he didn't seem too menacing. He was, as far as she could tell, only a little bit taller than her. Which meant he was still pretty short compared to most ponies. That was, for some reason, a little comforting.

She couldn't help but wonder, though, why he was wearing that stupid cape. It was so hot that she could see the air shimmering over the ground. How could that even be comfortable?

Maybe she'd ask him later. If she was stuck next to him, she could at least try to initiate some kind of conversation. "...So, uh, you're...Flare, right?"

The unicorn gave a curt nod, but didn't look at Cavatina. "...Yes." He hadn't such much so far, but from what the little pegasus could gather, he sounded like he had a cold when he spoke.

"Er, okay. I'm Cavatina." She tried to offer a friendly smile, but when she received no reply, she let out a semi-frustrated sigh and the flat look returned to her face. "So, where are you from?"

"That's confidential."

Confidential? What the hay? He couldn't have been much older than she was. What was with the uppity attitude?

"...Riiight." This wasn't going as planned. Then again, things rarely ever did. "Where are you heading, then?"

"Canterlot."

The pegasus perked up a little. Now that was something interesting. "Canterlot? Why there?"

"Official business."

Cavatina smacked herself in the face with her hoof. This was going to be a long ride.


	4. Chapter 4: Keeps Your Hooves To Yourself

It was a few minutes into the ride when Cavatina realized just how far she'd flown. Had she really managed to get this far out into the desert on her own? She sat with a puzzled look on her face, right before instinctually spreading her little wings and, well, hitting her silent travelling companion in the face.  
"Oof!" Well, at least she'd gotten him to make a noise. That was a start.

"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" The pegasus tried to retract her wings, but in the process, managed to knock the colt's spectacles right off of his muzzle and onto the floor of the cart.

"Ack!" And now he was blind. Wonderful.

It'd gone from amusing to somewhat mortifying for Cavatina, who was still struggling to fold her wings back up in the cramped quarters. She leaned forward in an attempt to grab the unicorn's glasses up off the floor, finally managing to retract her wings to her sides. In the process, she fell forward, landing on her face.

At least she got the glasses. She held them up with a hoof from her position as a little pink heap on the floor.

The unicorn didn't even bother with hooves. In a matter of seconds, his horn had been dimly illuminated with a weak red color, occasionally flickering in and out. It was, however, enough to take the spectacles, levitate them, and put them back on his face.

"...Thank you." His words were short. Stiff, even.

Cavatina shook the straw out of her mane, and, again, managed to hit the colt in the face. This time, he'd been too caught off guard to remain polite.

"Ow! For Celestia's sake, milady!"  
Cavatina was about to apologize, until she heard that last bit. She crawled up into a sitting position, snickering. At first, she tried to pass it off as a sneeze. "Aah-_CHOO!_"

Flare stared at her, poker-faced. Her acting skills were somewhat lacking.

After a bit of awkward silence, she couldn't hold it in any more. She fell back in the straw, consumed in a fit of high-pitched giggling.

"..._What_, may I ask, is it that you find so amusing?"

"What kinda pony even says stuff like that anymore? 'Milady'? Where the hay are you even from?"

The unicorn glanced away, looking almost a little, well, embarrassed. His mane fell over his face, obscuring one of his eyes in the shadow. "It's common speak in my home kingdom! It's not my fault that…!" His voice trailed off. Had he said too much?

Well, even if he had, it probably didn't matter. After all, the pegasus was still laughing her head off, and didn't seem to be listening. Go figure.

The pink pony didn't get her answer, but she hadn't even been paying enough attention to notice. After all, she could see Dodge Junction in the distance, so they were getting close. She could finally get out and stretch her legs. 'I wouldn't be surprised if I've gone and shrunk after being compressed like this,' she mused, trying to get comfortable (which was, by the way, pretty difficult when you didn't want to touch another pony).

The driver looked back from the front, stopping in his harness. "Careful, you two! My back can't take much more of that goofin' around."

Cavatina blinked. She'd completely forgotten that somepony actually had to pull the cart. And that somepony just happened to be the poor old stallion. Wow, he was seriously going to need a heat pack or something. "Sorry! I had a...wing malfunction!" That was a mild enough way to put it.

"How does that even work? Can't you fluttery ponies control your own facilities?" The driver snickered, though his tone was good-natured.  
"...You make that sound like I'm going to pee myself," Cavatina muttered, still loudly enough for him to hear.

The unicorn grimaced while the smaller pony wasn't looking. Disgusting. Did ponies in this part of Equestria actually speak about those kinds of things out loud, or was it just the squirmy filly who couldn't seem to keep her wings tucked in? Despite her delicate appearance, she was incredibly vulgar.  
"Well, can you hold it? We're almost there," the driver called back.

"I didn't say that I actually had to go!"

"I told you to hold it!"

"_Are you deaf?_"

"Who's Jeff?"

Cavatina smacked herself in the face with a hoof, and turned to the unicorn, who was just staring straight ahead like he hadn't been listening. "And you've been riding with this old guy for how long?"

"Three days."

The pink pony's jaw dropped slightly. She whistled lowly, quirking her brow as she shook her head. "I feel for you. Really."

"You have no idea," Flare sighed, slumping down where he sat. Well, that was a change from how stiff he'd been for most of the ride.

"I live in Dodge Junction. I have _all_ of the ideas."

Then the wagon jerked to a halt. No doubt about that. She could hear the wood practically wheezing. What a death trap.

"Alright, you dang kids. We're here."

Without a moment of hesitation, Cavatina squeezed herself out of the cart and faceplanted in the dirt, gasping for air.

Flare, on the other hoof, stepped out carefully, careful not to step on the melodramatic pegasus. He turned to look back at his flank (or as well as he could, anyway), adjusting his cape with care to make sure that his body was covered.

The pegasus rolled over onto her back, letting out a sigh of relief. "And just before-"

"_CAVI!_"

"Oh. Woops."

Within seconds, Arpeggio was standing over his little sister, a stern look on his normally relaxed face. "Where the hay have you been? Sarsaparilla told me that she saw you flying out of town!"

Cavatina held up a hoof as if she was about to speak, but just dropped it and let out a frustrated sigh. "I think you just answered your own question. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's some dirt napping that I have to catch up on, and I'd appreciate it if you would let me finish."


	5. Chapter 5: Get the Hay Out of Dodge

"Now, can you tell me why you were out in the desert?"

Cavatina sat in the dirt, ducking her head down and muttering something under her breath. "Peg, do we have to do this right here? It can wait, can't it?" In front of strangers? Really?

"Now's better than later." Arpeggio frowned, nudging his sister with his muzzle. "If you're brave enough to run off without telling me where you were going, then you're brave enough to tell me the truth in front of your...well, whoever these ponies are."

The driver and the unicorn exchanged an uncomfortable glance and then looked off in opposite directions, both suddenly very intrigued with the shabby architecture of Dodge Junction.

Cavatina huffed, crossing her hooves. "I got bored. I saw a cloud. The rest is history."

"...Right." The teal-maned colt nudged the younger pegasus again. "Alright, Cavi. We're going home." And without another word, he grabbed her by the tail and dragged her off.

"You're treating me like a foal!"

In the kitchen of their modest home, Arpeggio and Cavatina sat, the older looming over the younger, his patience running thin.

"If you're going to run off and put yourself in danger, then maybe you actually _need_ a foalsitter. Do you know what could've happened out there?"

"I told you exactly what happened! I saw those two from earlier being attacked by thieves, and I wanted to help!" By now, the younger pegasus had gotten so into the argument that her mane hung in her face, her ribbon missing. She hadn't even noticed.

"So you dove in and saved the day. Sure." The brown pegasus let out a frustrated sigh, sitting down. There were bags under his eyes. He must've had been working since she left. He looked so tired. So much older than she remembered.

"It's true! I mean, I didn't exactly save the day, but I got a couple of good hits in…" Cavatina stuck her lower lip out in a pout, and wouldn't look her brother in the eye. "Why would I lie?"

The room went silent for a bit, until Arpeggio eventually broke the quiet.

"...Because I haven't been around enough to teach you not to," he muttered. "Maybe it's my fault. But couldn't you at least follow one direction? Don't leave town! I thought we'd cleared this up years ago."

"I'm almost a full-grown mare! I should be able to leave this stupid little patch of dirt!"

Arpeggio narrowed his eyes. "You're far from full-grown with that attitude."

That tore it for Cavatina. She got to her hooves and scowled. "Why do you always have to act like you're my dad or something?! You don't have any authority over me!" And with that, she galloped up the stairs, and a door slammed.

The older pegasus sat there in silence, just shaking his head, stunned and hurt.

_"Come on, sweetie! You can do it!"_

_The scent of crisp, clean air. She could almost feel the gentle chill of the breeze. The soft clouds beneath her feet._

_"That's my girl!" Her father's voice, maybe? She could never tell. "Just remember what I showed you, alright?"_

_The sensation of flying, and then it was gone. A burst of rainbows. Rainbows, rainbows, rainbows. Dizzying, making her queasy._

_Not flying. Falling._

_"Come on, Cavi-"_

**_THWACK!_**

Cavatina sat up in bed, her wings instinctively unfurling and sending feathers flying. She panted, looking around in a panic. What was that? They normally didn't get storms out here.

Again. **_THWACK!_**

This time, she'd had the fortune of looking towards the window. Was that...a rock? Confused, she opened the window, and was immediately greeted by a pebble to the face. "Ow!"

"Sorry!" She heard a hushed yell from below. Who was throwing rocks at her window at this hour? Or at any hour, for that matter? She narrowed her eyes and looked down.

Outside, that colt from earlier stood down in the dirt. Cloak, spectacles, and all. And some shiny thing. Cavatina could see him mouthing something and gesturing to the dirt. Well, that was easy enough. He wanted her down there. She nodded, and whisper-yelled back. "I'll be right down!"

To walk or to fly? For a moment, flying down the stairs or out the window seemed like a better option, but her wings were still sore. And the beating might wake Arpeggio. So it was sneaking down the stairs, then.

She held her breath, stealthily moving down the stairs. As was typical, a stair creaked. And she heard her brother snore. Safe for now, at least.

She was careful not to slam the door went she went outside, and turned the corner to find the unicorn. And there he was, sitting in the dirt. She tilted her head to the side, looking more than a little confused. "What the hay do you want? Do you even know what time it is?"

"Well…" The colt tried to make a gesture with his hoof, but just kind of grimaced as he tried to think of words. Eventually, he just shook his head and, in a matter of seconds, a slightly illuminated silver ribbon dangled in front of Cavatina. "You dropped this."

Cavatina just stared. "And you...returned it? It's just a ribbon."

The colt sighed, a flat look on his face as the ribbon seemed to move on its own and tied itself in a neat bow around Cavatina's mane. "Well, it could have been important to you, yes? Therefore, I found it necessary to at least attempt to return it. Even if I had to toss pebbles like some sort of commoner." That sentence ended up with a squeak. He glanced back and forth, rather shiftily.

That one didn't fly past the filly's head. She frowned, stepping a little closer to the plump unicorn and looking him in the eyes, causing him to let out a little 'eep' and step backwards. "Who are you?"

"I'm...nobody. I'm just…" The unicorn looked down, his mane falling in his face. For a moment, he glanced back up at Cavatina. "My name is Flare. I'm just passing through. I'll be out of this place before the sun rises." He glanced down the road towards the train station. "I...didn't get the chance to thank you, though. For coming in when you did. I don't think the driver would have been able to take them alone. They were...more highly trained than he believed."

"...Highly trained? What are you talking about?"

"I've already said too much. It's been…" Flare exhaled, looking off to the side as usual. "It's been a pleasure, milady. But I've only got a few minutes until the train arrives. I just figured that you would want your ribbon back." And with that, he turned to leave.

"Wait."

He paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Eh? Yes?"

"Take me with you."

"...You're joking, yes?" He frowned, turning back towards Cavatina. "It's too dangerous. For the both of us. I barely know you. What common sense have you got, asking to go with a stranger?" A bemused look rested on his rounded features. "Besides, I'm going to Canterlot. That's quite a distance from your...brother, was it?"

Cavatina stiffened, and then sighed. "I just need a way to get to Cloudsdale. You can repay me that way, got it? Help me get on that train and to the station in Canterlot. Then we'll part ways, and I'll be out of your hair."

"...I...suppose I could afford another ticket," Flare murmured, still looking skeptical. "Is there anything you'd need to pack?"

"I've got nothing that can't be left behind."


	6. Chapter 6: Shakes On A Train

Two hours into the train ride, and Cavatina was asleep. Absolutely out like a light. It'd still been early, after all. Maybe it wouldn't have been quite so awkward if she hadn't been nearly leaning against Flare and drooling. Gross.

The unicorn occasionally prodded her with his hoof and tried to move her back into a sitting position, but about a minute later, she'd always end up in the same spot. Not quite on him, but close enough for him to hear her tiny snores.

He didn't have the heart to wake her, however. That could wait. They changed trains in...Ponyville, was it? He'd wake her then. As long as she didn't drool on him.

So, the unicorn just sat there quietly, staring out the window and watching the world go by. Mostly dirt at this point. What he wouldn't have given then to see at least a patch of grass. But the sunlight was a nice change. He hadn't seen so much sunlight since he'd left home. A place of grey skies and constant rain. Not a place that he'd miss in the slightest. He'd have to return eventually, of course. But not now. There were more important things to be done.

The car of the train was practically empty, save for the two travelling companions and what appeared to be a mother and her two foals near the other end. Not much of a threat. He'd dumped his saddlebag on the seat next to him, and now, with the weak magic that throbbed from his horn, he managed to open it and move a thick book in front of him. He let out a soft sigh as he began to flip through the weathered pages. Stained with coffee and worn from constant reading, the book appeared to be quite old.

"There you are," he murmured, coming across the page that he'd marked by folding the corner just so. On the page was a thick block of text, accompanied by some drawings and multiple scribblings of notes in the margins. The title? _"The Crown of Kairos"_.

_Legend says that the Crown of Kairos originally belonged to an alicorn princess back in the time before King Sombra. It was rumored that the tiara possessed magical powers, beyond that of anything known at the time._

_The most well-known story about the Crown of Kairos is how it could grant its wearer sight into the fabric of time. Some stories go so far as to say that the tiara made time travel possible, but that's often been dismissed as an exaggeration._

_It's been said that the princess saw something through the tiara's magic that caused her mind to burn. In a fit of madness and terror, she fled from her kingdom and escaped far into the Frozen North. It'll never be known if the Crown of Kairos actually ever existed, but there's been many-_

"What're you reading?" Cavatina let out a squeaky yawn and stood up to stretch. She unfurled her wings, making little sleepy sounds.

Flare quickly closed the book, putting it back in his saddlebag. "Nothing of importance. No need to concern yourself." He waved a hoof dismissively. "How was your...nap?"

"Eh, not bad, I guess. As far as naps go. I mean, it-"

Cavatina suddenly let out a yelp as the car shook and she was thrown to the floor. The lights flickered for a moment, and then it went dark. Darker than it should've been at this hour of the day.

The sudden movement caused Flare to fall from where he was sitting and land on the floor with a heavy 'thud'.

A few seconds later, the shaking stopped, though the car somehow now seemed to be on its side. The lights didn't come back on.

Cavatina groaned and sat up, trying to get her bearings. "What the hay was that…?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Flare tried to get up, but with his heavy body and short legs, it was a bit of a struggle before he actually managed to get into a sitting position. "I'd suggest climbing out of this death trap, but that doesn't seem like such a good idea."

The pegasus tilted her head to the side. "Why not?"

"There was a mother and her foals sitting on one end of this car moments ago. They're not there anymore." Ducking his head to the side, the unicorn gestured towards the other end, as if he didn't want to look there. "It's like they simply...vanished."

Cavatina's eyes widened. She hadn't even noticed. "That's not even possible! They were just there, weren't they…?"

"Another issue." Flare gestured towards the windows of the train car that still had the sky visible. It was dark. Not only that, but they seemed to be in a thick forest. Had they really left the desert in such a short time? "Our surroundings have changed in record time. Who knows where we've landed!"

"Well, there's no way that I'm going to stay in here. I'm sure it's fine. After all, we'll have to get out eventually." Cavatina started moving towards the door, before realizing that it was on the ceiling now. Great. "...Well, this changes things a little."

"You're a pegasus. Can't you fly to the door?"

Cavatina shook her head. "I could, but there's no way that I'd be able to open it in flight. I'm not strong enough for that. I don't know how we're going to get out of here. Can you climb?"

Flare gave her his usual flat look. "Do I look as if I can climb, milady?"

The pegasus face-hoofed. "Then we're going to have to roll this thing over somehow. But I'm too small to…" Her voice trailed off as she looked towards the hefty unicorn.

Her gaze made him a little uncomfortable. "What? What is it?"

"I'm going to need you to bodyslam the wall-er, floor."


End file.
